1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to facsimile apparatus having a recording unit, and more particularly to a facsimile apparatus which is improved to reduce power consumption in a recording unit which requires a large power and which is adapted to record on a normal recording paper by fixing a toner with used of a heater.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a facsimile apparatus has been proposed which records image data (a received document or the like) on a normal paper using a laser system or an LED system. Such apparatus has a heater which is used for fixing a toner on a recording paper (normal paper) and which consumes a large power close to 1000 watts. This type of heater is constantly supplied with a power to maintain a temperature of the heater at a predetermined temperature level so as to record and output image data immediately when the image data is received. In other words, a recording apparatus of this kind is always supplied with a large power even when image data is not actually printed on a recording paper and output.
Consequently, in a case where no received document is output for a long time, it results in a large power being wastefully consumed.
For example, it is usual that a few documents are received at night time and no attendant is available around such facsimile apparatus at night. In this case, although the received document is not required to be printed and output immediately, unnecessary large power is constantly supplied to the recording apparatus, which is extremely inconvenient from a standpoint of power consumption in the facsimile apparatus.